We might not be getting a Doctor Who Christmas special in 2022, but it seems Russell T Davies and company just couldn’t let the 25th of December go by without gifting fans a little something.
The long-running BBC sci-fi series has debuted a new teaser trailer for the upcoming 60th anniversary trilogy of episodes, with new footage airing on BBC One following the Strictly Come Dancing 2022 Christmas special.
The teaser features new footage of David Tennant as the Tenth Fourteenth Doctor, Catherine Tate as the returning Donna Noble, and Neil Patrick Harris as an enigmatic antagonist.
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Not only that, but we get our first glimpse of Heartstopper‘s Yasmin Finney on the show, as well as return appearances confirmed for Jacqueline King as Donna’s mother Sylvia, and Karl Collins as Donna’s husband, Shaun.
BAFTA nominee Ruth Madeley (Years and Years) has also been confirmed to appear as a character named Shirley Anne Bingham.
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Russell T Davies, showrunner, said: “We wanted to give fans, friends and families a lovely little Christmas present – with a promise that 2023 will be a riot of Doctor Who goodness!”
You can watch the trailer – which also features glimpses of monsters and the return of UNIT – in full below:
To mark six decades since first transmission, Doctor Who – once again spearheaded by returning showrunner Russell T Davies – will air three special episodes in 2023, with Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa then making his official debut as the Fifteenth Doctor in an episode to air during that year’s “festive period“.
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Gatwa will then be joined by ex-Coronation Street star Millie Gibson, playing companion Ruby Sunday, in an eight-part series which began filming earlier this month and will air in 2024. This will then be followed by another festive special next December.
Davies has promised that fans will be “staggered” by “the surprises” he and the Doctor Who team have lined up.
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While we wait for the 60th anniversary episodes, fans are keeping themselves occupied with a watchalong of classic festive episode The Christmas Invasion (first aired in 2005) today at 7pm.
Read more about Doctor Who:
- Mark Gatiss says Doctor Who has “a spring in its step” with Ncuti Gatwa
- Doctor Who fans call for spin-offs and historicals in 2023 and beyond
- Doctor Who spin-offs reportedly in development for Daleks and Cybermen
Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer with episodes of the classic series also available on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
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